Fear & Loathing in the Classroom. Please do the two activities then, in groups of 3, discuss whether you think they are suitable for beginners: a) What

HOW TO DEVELOP SUCCESSFUL

LEARNING IN ADULT

BEGINNERS

Fear & Loathing in the Classroom

How to Develop Successful Learning in Adult Beginners

Please do the two activities then, in groups of 3, discuss whether you think they are suitable for beginners: a) What challenges do you think would they face?

b) What would they need to know in order to complete the activities successfully?

c) Would these activities be useful to them?


How did you feel when you looked at the activities?How do you think a beginner learner would feel?

Why did you come to IATEFL? How did you feel about coming to IATEFL?


CASE STUDIES

Ali Al-Sharif is a 42 year old policeman. He comes from an influential family and rose through the ranks to a senior administrative position, even though he cannot read or write well in his own language. There have been administrative changes in his country and he has been offered a chance to head up a new unit but he needs to speak English, which he has never learned before.


CASE STUDIES

Salazar de Guinez is a 22 year old from a very wealthy family. His parents want him to study abroad, ideally in the US. Although he got his school certificate and his mother claims he has studied English for 6 years, he gets a very low score in the placement test and does not answer rudimentary questions correctly. His mother isn’t happy that he has been put in the beginners’ class.


CASE STUDIES

Zhou Shen is a 32 year old government official. She has an MSc from a reasonable university and has been chosen to attend English classes as part of a new initiative in her province. She must have learned some English at school but she tells one of the local staff that she doesn’t remember ever learning English.


NICOLA PERRY

Teaching experience in China & Libya myth that beginners are easy to teach myth that only local teachers can teach

them communicative methodology is even more

foreign than the foreign language they want to learn

Research for MA cognitive approach affective filters adult learning theory / andragogy motivation


Based on Ortega 2009 p83-90

THE COGNITIVE ARCHITECTURE OF THE BRAIN AND HOW IT WORKS


WHAT DID I DO?

classroom language instructions lexis grading language

became harsh & cruel attention response study

develop learner autonomy homework self-study


REFERENCESAndragogy: M. Knowles (1990) The Adult Learner A Neglected Species 4th ed Huston Gulf Publishing

Cognitive Approach :

P. Skehan (1998) A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning Oxford OUP

L. Ortega (2009) Understanding Second language Acquisition London Hodder Education

Affective Filter

S. Krashen (1985) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition Oxford Pergamon Press

Motivation

Z. Dörnyei (2003) Attitudes, Orientations, and Motivations in Language Learning: Advances in Theory, Research, and Applications Language Learning 53 1 pp3-32

Documents

Fear & Loathing in the Classroom. Please do the two activities then, in groups of 3, discuss whether you think they are suitable for beginners: a) What